3. TRAIN-TRACK DYNAMIC INTERACTION
A maximum allowed impact force of 230kN to be
applied to the rail head by passing train wheels is
commonly accepted through the Defined Interstate
Network Code of Practice (Volume 5, Part 2 -
Section 8, 2002) [11]. In fact, impact loads may be
caused by a variety of effects, including flats worn
on the wheel tread, out-of-round wheels, defects in
the wheel tread or in the rail head, and a
derailment. The most severe impact forces are most
likely from wheel flats [2]; because such flats strike
the rail head every revolution of the wheel, and